88 - Side Story: Leonardo's Perspective - My Little Sister 4
It might be unavoidable that Tina, having apparently grown tired of that brat's mischief, didn't want to go to the Menhishumi Church anymore. When I explained that teasing cute girls is something boys often do, she argued back that just because it's common doesn't make it justified and that the boy's actions were simply violence. Certainly, from a girl's perspective, it was probably nothing but unreasonable violence.
...I did the same thing when I was a kid.
She was an eye-catchingly cute girl. I liked her at first sight, but I didn't know how to talk to her, so I just wanted to get her attention somehow and I did mean things like pulling her hair.
...As a result, she hated me like a caterpillar.
At the very least, I want to communicate properly so Tina won't hate me. Because I'm not that child anymore and I'm an adult who knows methods other than hair-pulling.
I discussed it with Tina, who was holding back from attending the Menhishumi Church, and we decided to have the church dispatch one of their teachers to us. Since the original purpose of sending Tina to the Menhishumi Church was to let her make friends her own age, having a teacher dispatched was no big deal. Even in other Black Knight households or children from somewhat wealthy merchant families, it is common to invite teachers into the home.
"...Huh? Is the hero Bertrand still alive, resu?"
"Please don't kill him off on your own. Even if he is a hero from the past, Bertrand was active about thirty years ago."
"When you say 'hero,' I thought he was someone from super long ago, mashira."
I peeked at the small lesson taking place in the study. Today they seemed to be studying our country's hero, Bertrand. The writing board had the war situation of the time, the king's name, the reasons the war started, and even Bertrand's strategies and records of his many battles with his nemesis Albert were written with annotations.
...Nils really learned history in a lot of detail.
In the Menhishumi Church's lessons, only the major wars are taught, but all the battles that Bertrand is said to have participated in were written on the writing board. I also had a hard time memorizing the years and names, but is Tina planning to memorize all of that? I was a little worried, but since Tina seemed to be asking questions as they came to her, she might really be enjoying learning.
...I am glad we had Nils come.
Nils, with his gentle demeanor, seemed to get along well with Tina. There were no signs of them fighting or the lesson going off track. I could watch over them with peace of mind, but since my presence might be a disturbance, I quietly left the study.
...It doesn't seem like she has bad compatibility with all boys.
I heard she also had trouble with a boy back in Mey Village, but she is getting along well with Nils. So it is not that the existence of boys themselves is a problem for Tina.
"...I heard that Teo was expelled from the church, mashira."
A few sessions after she started receiving private lessons from Nils. When I returned to the residence in the evening, Tina came out to greet me and told me this news.
"Leonyaldo-san, did you do something...?"
Tina looked up at me fearfully, and I was inwardly shocked. Apparently, she suspected that I had put pressure on the Menhishumi Church to get rid of Teo.
"I didn't do anything. You wouldn't want that either, would you, Tina?"
"Yes, resu."
Even though Tina was fed up with Teo's pranks, she never asked me to get rid of him, so I responded by having a teacher come to the residence. I judged that if we each stayed out of each other's sight, no further problems would arise.
...Well, if it was between my little sister and some brat who was bothering the other kids, the church would choose Tina, wouldn't they.
Not that I gave any particular instructions or requests to the Menhishumi Church. But between the family of a Black Knight, especially my little sister whose family makes large donations to the Menhishumi Church every year, and a troublesome brat, they would choose to expel the brat. Whether to curry favor with me or for the sake of the other children.
"...If Teo really isn't there, nya, I want to go to church again, resu."
"I see. Then I'll let Guide Anna know."
And so Tina started attending the Menhishumi Church again. It seemed true that Teo wasn't there. On the first day she tilted her head in puzzlement, but by the second and third visits she seemed to have gotten used to it. She also made a few girl friends, and sometimes came home after making a detour.
...Well, even if it is a detour, it is one accompanied by her guardian Bart.
Just as I was starting to feel relieved that Tina was attending the Menhishumi Church safely, a letter arrived at the fortress from the capital. The sender's name was someone who made my head ache just by looking at it.
"Leonardo, I heard a letter arrived from the capital..."
I silently pointed at the envelope on my desk to Alf, who had popped his head into the office. Even though the letter was still unopened, Alf saw the sender's name and clutched his head just like I had.
"No, well... I knew it would come someday."
"Give it up. Where there is Alf, there is that person. ...He is your friend, isn't he? He can stay at your residence."
"No, no. This is someone who, nominally at least, is part of the royal family. Of course, he should stay at the lord's residence where we can arrange proper security."
After slumping his shoulders, Alf looked up with a sparkling smile and spouted such sound logic that I couldn't help letting my true feelings slip.
"...That pervert will rub off on Tina."
"Who knows, they might actually get along?"
I understand that he wants to repay the Sedovara Church for their great cooperation in bringing the Wards Disease under control. Considering the future, the nation should actively cooperate with the Sedovara Church.
I understand that, but having that person from the royal family as the messenger is hard to accept. In public, he knows his position and fulfills his duties, but knowing his eccentric behavior in private, I want to stay as far away from him as possible. And he is not someone I want involved with Tina, who is at a sensitive age where she is influenced by the adults around her, for better or worse.
"...What if Tina gets influenced by that person and says something like 'I want to marry Alf-san'?"
"Tina is sure to grow up beautiful, so I would welcome that."
"Oh ho... so you want to call me 'Big Brother,' is that it?"
"Don't worry. If that happened, I would find Tina's real relatives and cut ties with you first."
After this light exchange, an awkward silence fell between us. This wasn't the time to joke around and foist the trouble onto each other. If that royal was coming, it was already decided and there was no overturning it now. Moreover, there was even a chance he might shake off his guards and charge in alone, driven by his longing for Alf. I had better prepare the guest room at the lord's residence immediately.
"...Let's just be glad he didn't arrive with the letter."
"Should I keep Tina at my residence during his stay?"
"No, don't bother. I want to avoid that person's jealousy turning toward Tina when she has absolutely no interest in him."
"Ah, don't. Whether it is a little girl like Tina or an old woman like Aurelia, as long as the person is female, that royal gets jealous."
"He would do it even for a man, wouldn't he."
That royal, who openly declares his love for Alf without any hesitation, has pestered me many times since I was in the capital. He didn't like that Alf treated me as a friend. Apparently, he thought it was unfair that I could become Alf's friend just by being a colleague, while as a royal himself, he couldn't even become Alf's friend despite loving him.
It was extremely troublesome, but since it wasn't something I could put off, I had to give instructions to Bart and Tabitha. I needed to tell them to prepare the guest room and get ready to host.
...The timing is bad.
I had a rough idea of the letter's contents, but I grumbled internally as I glanced over it for confirmation. I was supposed to go pick up a puppy I had arranged through an acquaintance, for Tina. Because of this sudden letter, my plans for today were completely ruined.
Since I entrusted the puppy pickup to Bart, I couldn't go pick up Tina. With no other choice, I put in a request to the Menhishumi Church, and arrangements were made for a boy named Lusio and Nils to escort Tina to the residence. Since it would be just the children, I thought Tina's detour home would be a little different from usual and found it heartwarming. But when a knight burst into my office that evening with a report, I learned this was no time for heartwarming thoughts. I was told that Tina had been attacked by a dog and was at the Sedovara Church.
"Tina, are you alright!?"
I cut my work short and rushed through the Sedovara Church's gate, where I found Tina standing in the entrance hall. There were a few other people around, but Tina came first. I needed to confirm she was safe.
As I lifted Tina up to check for injuries, she blinked blankly. I was relieved that she didn't seem to have been bitten or hurt anywhere.
"I heard Tina was attacked by a dog. Are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt anywhere, or were you bitten..."
"I'm fine, resu."
I rushed over worried, but Tina herself didn't have a single bite mark. If I had to say, there was maybe a canine tooth mark on the hem of her skirt. She seemed completely unfazed, so she probably wasn't too shaken, but I was bothered by the faint tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.
According to Tina's explanation as the person involved, she was chased by a black dog and escaped onto a wooden crate, and when she couldn't move, Teo apparently saved her. He insists he saved his own sister, not Tina, but the fact remains that she was saved, so Tina asked me to cover his medical expenses.
...Both of them are not being honest with themselves.
Both Teo, who secured his own sister Mirshe's safety before saving Tina and getting bitten, and Tina, who says the fact remains that she was saved so I should pay his medical expenses.
...Still, today was just one badly timed thing after another.
When Tina and I returned to the residence, the puppy Bart had picked up should be waiting. For Tina, who had just been chased by a dog, even a puppy might be a bad idea.
...First, I will see how Tina is. If it seems bad, I will have the puppy stay in the annex or make it a guard dog at the fortress.
I was thinking about how to hide the puppy that should be at the residence, but Tina was probably exhausted from being chased by the dog. As I carried her on the way back, her body grew heavy with drowsiness and she fell asleep just like that. It was a day full of bad timing in many ways, but at least this worked in my favor. I succeeded in hiding the puppy in the annex without Tina knowing.
Over the following days, I observed Tina carefully, but she didn't seem particularly afraid of dogs. I thought I could give her the puppy when the timing was right, but apparently she started seeing that same black dog on her way to and from the Menhishumi Church. Tina says she is fine with dogs in general, she is just afraid of that black dog in particular, but I can't tell if that is really true.
...Maybe I should just have the fortress take it in now and make it a training dog.
It was originally meant to be a guard dog anyway, so I had planned to train it eventually. I had been hoping to let it live freely as Tina's playmate for a while, at least while it was a puppy, so I felt a little bad for it. Maybe I should return it to its original owner once and then pick it up again as a training dog after it has grown a bit more.
I had been brooding over such things for the past few days. But today, unusually, I was able to return to the residence in the afternoon. When I got there, Tina, who usually comes out to greet me at the entrance, was nowhere to be seen. I had heard she sometimes has lunch with the gatekeeper at the back gate, so maybe she was still in the backyard. Thinking this, I went around to the backyard, and there I saw a scene I wanted to preserve in a painting.
"Woof! Woof!"
A cheerful Tina was running around the yard, imitating a dog's bark. Behind her, a puppy was chasing after her, working its short legs as hard as it could. What a heartwarming sight.
It was such a peaceful scene that I felt stupid for having worried so much these past few days.
"Ah, Leo-san!"
Tina noticed me and ran over. The black puppy followed behind her.
"There was a puppy in Bart-san's annex, nyo! Isn't it cute, resho!!"
Saying it follows me around, Tina circled around me, and the puppy followed her, circling around me too. The puppy's obedient behavior seemed unbearably cute to Tina and she was smiling the whole time.
"...Tina, weren't you afraid of black dogs?"
"What I am afraid of is that black dog that wanders around outside, resu. This one is a different dog, resu."
Tina puffed out her thin chest and declared proudly. Apparently, Tina wasn't simple-minded enough to hate all dogs just because she was chased by one. She said it is a different dog, so she is not scared.
"...Do you like that puppy?"
"You don't have to buy one for me, resu."
I asked to check if she was okay with dogs, but Tina, who seemed to like the puppy, apparently became wary of me possibly buying a new dog. For Tina, liking something and wanting it seem to be separate things.
"No, this puppy was originally given to me by an acquaintance for Tina."
I honestly explained that because of the bad timing right after she was chased by the black dog, I was worried she might have trauma, so I hid it in Bart's annex for a while. Not that she didn't have to have me buy a new puppy, she already had a puppy.
As Tina looked down at the puppy again, the puppy gazed back at her with round eyes. The puppy had black fur, but the area around its mouth, belly, and the tips of its paws were white. It was a puppy whose fur was nothing like that black dog from the other day.
"Is this my dog, resu?"
"That's right."
"...Then, can I give it a name, resu?"
"You can give it whatever name you like."
When I answered, Tina tilted her head and gazed at the puppy. The puppy, as if bored of the staring contest, rested its chin on Tina's toes and lay down.
"...Koku-maro! I want Koku-maro, resu!"
Tina's face lit up as if she had come up with a great name, which was adorable, but now it was my turn to tilt my head at the unfamiliar-sounding name.
"Koku-maro, you say?"
The stuffed bear got named Jinbei because it had a strong ring to it. She also said Teo was weak-sounding so she didn't like it. It seems I still can't quite grasp Tina's naming preferences.
"Richness, with a mellow taste?"
"Why is it a question?"
And why a taste evaluation? When asked about the meaning of the name she had come up with, Tina looked a little unsure of herself.
...Well, I still can't understand her naming sense, but it is clear she prioritizes food over cuteness.
I never expected her to name a puppy something meaning 'rich and mellow taste.' Children really do have free imaginations.
Typos and missing words will be handled another day...
The big brother still doesn't understand his little sister's preferences, but the little sister seems to be figuring out how to handle her big brother...?
Fixed the typos and missing words I found.